O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree – it’s time to get rid of you

Now Christmas is over, it’s time to figure out what to do with that tree.

As long as you take all the decor off including tinsel there’s plenty of ways to get rid or your tree and several that even help raise funds for area group.

The Penticton Fire Fighters Local 1399 are poised to pickup up Christmas Trees for a donation. All donations go to the B.C. Professional Fire Fighters Burn Fund and Muscular Dystrophy charities. Pickup can be arranged from now to Jan. 17 Penticton and West Bench residents call 250-490-2315 to register for collection. Residents can also drop-off clean Christmas trees at Fire Hall #2 at 285 Dawson Ave from now to January 31.

For those in Summerland call the fire hall at 250-404-4087 or e-mail sfd@summerland.ca to request collection. For a donation, Summerland Secondary students will collect trees on Sun., Jan. 7 and Sun., Jan. 14. Donations go to the Summerland Secondary Dry Grad.

The Town of Oliver does not have a drop-off program this year. Local residents can bring trees to the Oliver Landfill for free during business hours.

Osoyoos residents can drop off Christmas trees adjacent to the washroom at Kinsmen Park (on boulevard) or at the Northwest Corner of the parking lot below the Sun Bowl Arena sign until Mon., Jan. 8. Questions can be directed to 250-495-6213 or pubworks@osoyoos.ca.

In Naramata, by request, volunteer firefighters can pick up discarded trees from residents driveways on Sat., Jan. 13. Please contact the fire hall by email at stn161admin@rdos.bc.ca if you wish to have your tree picked up and provide your street address. Ensure the tree is clean of ornaments and tinsel. Place near the curb close to January 13th to avoid it being buried in fresh snow or ice. Sponsored by EZ Bins.

When open, all landfills in the Regional District will accept, free of charge, up to 500 kg (1,100 lbs) of yard waste including clean natural Christmas trees. Trees must be free of tinsel, fake snow, ornaments and lights. The trees are chipped and given new life as animal bedding or compost. Burning Christmas trees creates strong smoke due to moisture in the wood and needles. Fine particulates from smoke have been linked to respiratory and heart diseases. Any tinsel, fake snow or ornaments left on the tree will create added pollution.